What is bond for hair?

There are thousands upon thousands of designer, high-end, luxury products out there marketed to solve every hair issue known to mankind. Scores of those same products only address the symptoms of many hair problems, and they don’t get to the root of the issue.

The truth is, hair repair has far more to do with the science behind the hair than the name on the bottle or the price. What Pantene has discovered is that restoring the microscopic bonds between proteins and lipids - the molecules that make up your hair, can greatly affect how your hair responds to everyday products, treatments, and styling.

What we’re talking about is hair bonding.

What is hair bonding?

Unlike products that just mask the symptoms of hair damage, hair bonding addresses damage at a molecular level. Products marketed toward hair smoothing are often created with silicones, keratin, or mineral oils. While those ingredients serve a crucial function in the haircare world, damaged hair needs hair bonding change to truly repair the hair shaft.

Working at the bond level matters because it’s the bonds that literally hold the hair strand together. Damage from heat tools, daily styling, hair color, and more lead to bond breakdown. A cascade of hair changes is set in motion when hair’s flexible bonds are broken and continue to degrade. Cuticles lift, turning smooth hair into rough individual strands, duller color, and lack of shine. Then, the strand unravels leaving broken strands and split ends behind.

Products that help repair hair bonding

Like Jen mentioned, you can get luxury hair repair without the salon price tag. Proper hair bonding repair benefits include:

The great news? Pantene has an affordable, proven line of products that rival even the most popular hair bonding treatments.

We put the Pantene bond-treated hair and hair treated with the leading bonding shampoo + treatment (a system that costs more than 3x the Pantene system!) through a battery of blind tests to see how well they perform. The results were smoother, shinier, and strengthened hair—at just a fraction of the price, comparable to the leading luxury brand. The participants hands-down chose Pantene, without knowing which brand was which.

If you’re ready to convert from overpriced, name-brand bond building hair treatments to an affordable treatment we encourage you to switch to Pantene. We have just the thing you need.

What is hair bonding? Unlike products that just mask the symptoms of hair damage, hair bonding addresses damage at a molecular level. Products marketed toward hair smoothing are often created with silicones, keratin, or mineral oils.

Hair is made of keratin and there are three different types of hair bonds that form and hold this structure together.

All of these hair bonds help your curly hair stay strong and manageable so it’s important to look after them. But if they do become damaged there are ways to repair them!

Many things in our day to day lives can cause hair bonds to break.

When it comes to looking after our hair bonds, you should try to minimise aggressors that can damage them in the first place. Many things, from heat to bleach, can damage these bonds and affect our hair strength. However, for bonds that are already damaged, using a hair bonding treatment can help restore the strength and integrity of the hair, giving you soft, bouncy curls once again.

Our Bond Curl Rehab Salve has been designed for this very reason. It is a bond builder that contains some curl-loving proteins to increase the hair's elasticity. It works by targeting hair bonds to re-link and repair hair damage, strengthening the hair from the inside out and protecting against breakage. It leaves the hair super soft and manageable, as well as working to enhance your natural curl pattern. This formula will work with any hair type, however those with damaged or high porosity hair will need to use it more often alongside other products from our strengthening hair range. As this product is not a moisturizer, it should be followed by the Core Strength Shampoo and Multi-tasking Conditioner.

Whilst damaged hair bonds need protein-rich treatments to be repaired, if you use them too often you can suffer from protein overload. This is when your hair has too much protein, and can feel stiff to the touch and brittle. This is nothing to be worried about though - it just means you were a bit too excited with your strengthening treatment! Just use a clarifying shampoo and a deep conditioner the next time you was your hair and you'll be good to go.

Bond Curl is a powerful blend of superfoods and patented active ingredients that targets all 3 types of hair bonds (hydrogen, salt, and disulfide) to repair, rebuild and restore hair fiber strength. It also provides protection to help against further damage. Bond Curl helps achieve this thanks to the following technology:

Our Bond Curl can be applied effortlessly in three simple steps:

We’ve all heard about hair bonders – those miracle hair treatments popping up on TikTok and being raved about by bleached babes all over. Until recently, they were only available in a salon, but hair bonding treatments are now readily available online. And they’re getting a whole lotta love for their ability to transform hair with relative ease and without costing an arm and a leg.

Which all sounds great. But what exactly is a hair-bonding treatment? How do you use bonding products – and what are the benefits? Keep reading for the DL on hair bonding and to discover if it’s right for your weak/ frazzled/ breakage-prone hair.

Put your lab coat on, sister – we’re about to talk science. Hair bonding treatments, aka hair bonders, are designed to improve hair strength and integrity from the inside out by targeting the hair’s chemical bonds. Fun fact: our hair is made up of chemical bonds that are impossible to see with the naked eye but are the foundation of our tresses. And hair bonders essentially mimic our natural hair chemicals to repair any damage.

The primary benefit of using a hair bonding treatment is that it helps your hair look and feel healthier by strengthening the hair deep down.

Through the magic of chemistry, hair bonders were created to target the three primary types of hair bonds: disulphide, hydrogen and salt. Hair bonding treatments contain a slew of patented ingredients, so the exact secret to their hair healing prowess is widely unknown. However, almost all hair bonders worth their salt contain amino acids – the OG ingredient of hair repair. These hallowed hair-strengthening treatments essentially work like keratin treatment, improving hair’s strength – starting with the innermost layer. Bonding products penetrate the hair shaft and start building back the integrity of the strands. And for that, those of us with faux sun-kissed locks say, ‘Thank you!’

Bond builders are often offered as deep conditioning treatments at your hair salon, but they can also be used in the comfort of your home. They come in different formulas, including shampoos, conditioners, masks, and treatments. One of the most effective (and most accessible to use) is a pre-shampoo conditioning treatment. Pre-shampoos can get to work in just minutes and help prepare your hair for deeper, more intensive restoration.

This brings us to *drum roll please*, our Bond Building Pre-Shampoo Treatment. This bond-building hair treatment is a saviour for dry, over-processed, and damaged hair. Formulated to repair broken disulphide, salt and hydrogen bonds – while protecting existing bonds, our Bond Building Pre-Shampoo Treatment has been clinically proven to reduce hair breakage by 85%. Yes, 85%!

Our Bond Building Treatment is designed to be used on highly damaged hair, 2-3 times a week. Before shampooing, dampen and section your hair. Apply 1 pump of the treatment at a time to each section, applying more product until your hair is fully saturated. Leave in for 10 minutes. Rinse your hair and follow up with a good quality moisturising shampoo and conditioner for even softer, silkier results.

Hair bonding treatments are great for anyone who wants healthier, shinier, and more manageable hair (so basically everyone!). This type of treatment works with your hair naturally to help restore it to its natural lustre, no matter the texture or length.

However, the most dramatic results are seen if your hair is severely dry or damaged, especially as a result of colouring, chemical processing (eg. perming), and heat styling. Most people using hair bonding treatments see results almost immediately, with results becoming more noticeable the more regularly you use the treatment.

Good news. Hair bonding treatments are considered safe and effective for almost everyone.  However, too much of a good thing can become harmful. And overusing products containing proteins can have an adverse effect on your mane and actually cause breakage.

If you start noticing that initial healthy hair effect wearing off after using the hair bonder, take a break and stick with a simple shampoo and conditioner routine for a bit. Also, consult with your stylist or colourist to determine the best routine for your tresses.

So, let’s take a minute or two to review what we learned about bond-repairing treatments, shall we?

Can’t stop wondering how else you can get a major glow-up? We’ve got you covered. Check out our blog for all things hair, tanning and bodycare related.

Edited by: Pip Jarvis and Iris

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